October 10, 1945
took a couple of hours before the British soldiers vacated the camp and as soon as they did the refugees spilled out in search of friends and loved ones. Éponine was thankful she had Tony by her side to keep her calm but she desperately wished to be united with her siblings and Alex.
"We you're free now," Tony smiled.
"Free?" Éponine cocked her head, the word was almost foreign to her. She had not been truly free in a very long time, years. A sort of relief washed over her as she realized what had just happened, she started to cry. "We're free!" She exclaimed. She then noticed people singing and dancing, celebrating the fact that they no longer had to hide and they were safe.
"Now I made you a promise, we have a few people to find don't we?" Tony smiled.
They walked through the kibbutz but it was packed with not only the residents and refugees but those who had come to help as well. Éponine kept looking for any sight of her siblings or Alex for that matter, how she had gotten separated she could not recall... There were so many people, it was all rather dizzying. She was also very tired and hungry from the journey, perhaps that didn't help the matter as well.
"Éponine!" Azelma spied her older sister, "Éponine!"
"'Zelma!" Éponine cried out and ran towards her sister, "where's Gavroche?"
"Over there," Azelma pointed to where there younger brother was, "Gav!" She called to him.
Éponine embraced her siblings as she cried tears of joy, the last few years had been utter hell. They lost their home, their friends, family... Everything was taken from them by the Nazis. Coming to Palestine was supposed to make everything better but Éponine had her doubts many a night in the confines of Atlit. Now they were truly free from all of that.
"Tony!" Bella hollered as she ran towards him with her sister trailing behind her.
"Bella wait!" Musichetta called.
"Tony!" Bella exclaimed as the wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Everyone laughed and smiled at the look of bewilderment on Tony's face as he had been caught off guard. It did not take him long for him to change his tune and to reciprocate the kiss.
"He's always been a charmer with the ladies," Alex came up from behind Éponine.
"Alex!" Éponine exclaimed, she could have kissed him the way that Bella kissed Tony but she restrained herself, instead she simply embraced him. When she broke away some of her happiness melted away, and a feeling of dread placed a large knot in her stomach, "Well now what?" Éponine furrowed her brow.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked as she let go.
"I have no money, no place to go-"
"How is that any different then before?" Alex frowned.
"I don't know!" Éponine exclaimed, "what are we going to do? 'Chetta?" she turned to her friend.
"I'm sorry, but once we can get in touch we are going to our cousin or something who lives in Beer Sheva..."
"I really should have thought this through..." Éponine put her hand on her forehead.
"Well you could stay in the hotel with the rest if the volunteers on the ship?" Alex suggested.
"We have no money!" Éponine reiterated through gritted teeth.
"I sense trouble?" The solider named Dan walked past.
"I don't know where to go," Éponine sighed.
"That is all?" Dan laughed.
"What do you mean that is all?" Éponine practically snarled at him.
"People here are kinder than you think, I bet we can find someone to take you in for a short while," Dan smiled.
Éponine eyed him incredulously, it had been to long since anyone had shown her or her siblings that much kindness, "are you sure? We barely speak the language and we don't know anyone-"
"Ain Bayah!" Dan replied casually.
"What?" Éponine asked.
Dan chuckled, "It means no problem, what kind of work can you do? I might no someone if you can give me an idea."
Éponine shrugged her shoulders, "Azelma and I can sew some-"
"Magniv!" Dan put a hand on her shoulder, "that is great news!"
Éponine couldn't believe what she was hearing, "You cannot possibly mean to tell me that you know someone in need of seamstresses, that's too good to be true."
"Ach! Nonsense, everyone knows everyone here, and I know just the man and I swear I just saw him around here somewhere..." Dan used his tall frame to peer through the crowd, "Moshe Strauss, tailor in Haifa good friend of mine actually, been in the business for awhile but his eyes are going and he needs help-"
"Dan you are amazing!" Azelma grinned.
"Ehhh, you are too kind, Azelma isn't it?" Dan cocked his head his accent not quite agreeing with the pronunciation of her name.
"Yes," Azelma blushed.
Éponine couldn't believe her sister was flirting? With a tall and handsome man, well he was Jewish so Maman would have definitely approved.
"What about this Moshe Strauss?" Éponine did not feel bad about interrupting one bit.
"Yes, let's see if we can find the old devil!" Dan jumped up.
More walking? Éponine sighed.
"I could carry your bag for you?" Alex suggested, "maybe I can get Tony pryed away from his lady love long enough to help"
"Leave them be," Éponine laughed.
After saying their good byes the five of them collected their belongings and went in search of Mr. Strauss. Slowly the number of refugees were dwindling, taking rides with those who had come from Haifa, some deciding to stay in the Kibbutz, others going to Tel-Aviv and other such cities. Moshe Strauss was nowhere in sight, they even asked around and most said that they had not seen him or that perhaps he had left? After all it had been nearly two hours since the British departed, he must have gone back to open up the store.
"Levi! Levi wait!" Dan then ran after an older man about to get into a truck and drive off. "They need to go to Haifa, these two ladies would like to work in Moshe's shop."
"Really?" Levi stepped down, "you want me to take them there?"
"Please my friend," Dan nodded vigorously as he addressed Levi, "this man is accompanying the ladies and their brother.."
"I'm already taking two young men to Haifa... It'll be tight but come on," Levi nodded to the back of the truck, "Not bad gained to workers for the store-" he started conversing with Dan, "figured they'll stay with me and Chani till they get their own place-"
Éponine climbed into the back and laughed, "I can't get away from you can I?"
"'Ponine!" Marius exclaimed, "thank god, when we couldn't find you I thought you'd been caught!"
"Tony helped me," Éponine smiled as Tony climbed in after Gavroche, "But you and Andre look a little worse for wear-"
"This?" Marius gestured to his bandaged arm, "Got caught on the barbed wire and Andre donated his shirt to the cause."
"Well we had to stop the bleeding," Andre shrugged as he fingered the threads on his torn shirt.
Alex sat himself beside Éponine as the truck roared to life and jolted them around causing them to collide. "Sorry," Alex replied quietly.
"It's alright," Éponine smiled slightly.
The next half hour in the back of the truck consisted of them mostly recounting what happened during the break out. Marius then explained the luck in finding Levi when trying to find a place to go for him and Andre. For once everything was perfect and Éponine just had to learn to accept it instead of questioning everyone and everything.
Soon they were within Haifa driving down a steep hill on a bumpy brick road. They pulled up in front of a building with a sign written mostly in Hebrew, what was in English Éponine realized it read "Tailor".
"Here we are," Levi smiled as he stopped the truck.
"I guess this is it," Éponine sighed as she looked at her two friends.
"We won't be far away," Marius smiled at her, "we'll see each other, I promise."
Éponine hugged both Marius and Andre while Azelma and Gavroche got down with the help of Alex who then grabbed the suitcase. in Hebrew and helped them gather their things and took them into the shop.
Levi pushed open the door into the seeimingly empty shop, he frowned, "Gveret Strauss?" Levi called into the shop, "Rivkah?"
"Coming! Coming!" An older woman approached them rambling in Hebrew, "you didn't bring my husband by chance?"
"Sorry no," Levi laughed.
"Ach," Rivkah Strauss rolled her eyes, "so what did you want?"
Éponine strained to understand only picking up bits and pieces of their conversation, she hated this barrier.
"These two girls are in search of work," Levi explained, "they came from Atlit, and Hebrew is not strong for them-"
"You poor things!" Rivkah gasped, "aizeh safa atem omrim?" she asked them.
This was a question Éponine could answer albeit she needed time to pick the right words, "Sarfatit veh ksat Anglit."
"Tov," Rivkah nodded and switched accordingly, "I'm afraid my English isn't so good."
Éponine smiled at the older woman.
"You and this other young lady sew?" Rivkah asked.
"Me and my sister," Éponine nodded.
"Rivkah I must be going but they'll be alright with you right?" Levi asked.
"Of course!" Rivkah replied slightly affronted, she then saw Gavroche standing by Alex, "who are these young men?" She smiled, "come here motek! Let me get a look at you!" She gestured to Gavroche.
Éponine couldn't help but be reminded of her own Grandmother, she never knew what happened to her or her Zaidey and could only assume that they were dead as well.
"So we can work here?" Éponine tried to get the woman back on track.
"We'll see what you know, and seeing as you have nowhere else to go you can stay here till we do something else-"
The amount of kindness that Éponine was being shown today was unbelievable. "Thank you-" her voice broke.
Rivkah smiled and walked over to Éponine and gently placed a hand on her face, "Like Abraham and Sarah welcomed the angels into their home, you our are guests, perhaps even our angels too?"
Éponine laughed slightly and followed the old woman into the back and up a set of stairs to their apartment above the store. "We have a spare room with two beds... I hope you don't mind sharing."
"Thank you Mrs. Strauss," Éponine smiled as they were led to the spare bedroom.
"Bubeleh call me Rivkah," Rivkah smiled, "and you young man looking for work too?" she addressed Alex.
"Oh, I'm just helping them out," Alex ran a hand through his blonde hair.
"Well if you wouldn't mind helping me out just for today after we get your friends settled, I will be most grateful," Rivkah's eyes twinkled, "you are quite a handsome man too."
"Merci," Alex replied his face turning red, not even realizing he switched to French.
"Such a lovely language," Rivkah nodded her head, "hopefully my husband will husband will return shortly, but when you're done come back to the shop and we'll get you started."
Éponine opened the one suitcase the three of the shared and sat down on the larger of the two beds. She fingered the hand knit blanket that lay at the foot. It had been a very long time since she'd seen something like that.
"Do you need help?" Alex asked.
"We have one case and a small bag between us," Éponine smiled, "but I don't see why not."
They quickly unpacked their things and put them in the dresser placed at the other end of the room just below the window. It did not take long for them to finish and they soon came back down the stairs to see what it was the Rivkah wanted of them.
